Fitness

I never get sore after lifting weights.  I'm only a bit fatigued afterwards for maybe an hour or so, but that's about it.  I feel as though I am lifting heavy.  I use 20lbs dumbbells and I do 3 sets of 8-12 reps with 3 moves at a time.  Take a break in between and do another 3 sets of 8-12 reps with another set of  3 exercises.  I do all the last set of reps until I cannot do another single one.  If I'm not sore the next day am I even making a difference?  Oh I do 3 miles on the treadmill doing HIIT to warm up.  You would think that would make my legs sore...but it doesn't.  Am I just use to exercise?  It it okay to not be sore?  I really am not ready for 25lbers yet, I tried but my form with them was horrible and I thought my eyeballs were going to pop out.  Its just hard to know if I'm reeking any benefits when I don't feel anything.

Hmmm..IMO…I think you might be used to doing the same routine over and over again…so you feel nothing, and you see nothing.  You don’t necessarily have to go up in weight, but instead of doing regular curls…do curls across your chest or hammer curls…mix it up to work different angles of each muscle.  

Also - I would think that you would need different weights for different "moves".  For example, 20pound dumb bells may be enough to do shoulder presses with, but not nearly enough to squat with.  And increase continuously the weights that you can. 

Well I guess I should mention that some of my moves are compound moves.  I try to get as much bang for my buck as possible.  But, I'm always switching up my moves that I do.  When I lunge I hold a 20lber in each hand and do 16 in each set.  I'm about to fall over by the end of my 3rd set of those....but still, I'm never sore.  I do my squats and presses all in the same rep.  However I do additional squats with the "squat machine" and I pile on 60lbs on both sides of it.  I can do 3 sets of 12 when i do them.  I know I'm doing a good job at using adequite weights for the moves I do and so on....I guess what I'm trying to ask is if I'm never sore (feeling the burn) is there still change happening?  Would this be a good time to take a 2 week break to recharge my muscles maybe?

Just brainstorming, but maybe do 2 set of 12 at 20 lbs. and then as many as you can at 25.  Or put the 25 in the middle, so 1 set of 12 at 20 then as many as you can at 25 and then another set of 12 at 20.  Or lengthen/shorten your rest times between, or pick a more challenging form of the exercise. 

I was doing step-ups with as much weight as I could lift in each hand and was bummed because it wasn't doing a thing for me.  I felt like I could do a million with out getting tired (exaggeration, but you get my drift).  Then I decided that instead of using the 8-inch step I would step onto the weight bench.  Now I FEEL them!  I dropped the weights to nothing until I could do them with out falling over and then picked up the itty-bitty pink dumbbells because that is all I can handle for that exercise. lol. 

I'm not sure if I'm understanding you correctly. First off, soreness is not a really good indicator of a good workout, so just because you're not sore, you can still be getting a good work.

When you workout, just make sure that you use a weight that you can only do 8-12 times, don't add reps if it's too easy, add weight :)

Original Post by k-loo:

 Oh I do 3 miles on the treadmill doing HIIT to warm up. 

You either aren't doing a HIIT if you can do weights after it, or you're not doing a proper weight routine if you can do it after an actual HIIT session

Original Post by spirochete:

You either aren't doing a HIIT if you can do weights after it, or you're not doing a proper weight routine if you can do it after an actual HIIT session

 Hmmm, I suppose maybe.  Here is exactly what I did yesterday for example:

Treadmill I ran the first five minutes at a 6.7 then for the next 10 minutes I ran 30 secs at a 9.3 and 30 secs at a 6.5.  The next 5 minutes after that I ran 30 secs at a 7.2 and 30 secs at a 6.7.  The next 3 minutes I ran 30 secs at a 7.0 and 30 secs at a 6.5.  I then jogged at a 6.5 for two minutes or so until I reached the 3 mile mark.

I grabbed my 20lbers and I then did:

Curls, Squat and press, and the balance on one leg lean over and pull weights up to your chest thing (I don't know what that one is called). 3 sets of 8-12 (each is different in the number I can do...but I go until I can't do anymore).

Next I did 16 walking lunges with the 20lbers in each hand, then I did 30 plank twists, then I did 10 chest presses with the weights laying on a balance ball.  I repeated this 2 more times.  Then I did some stretching to cool down. 

I do different moves each time I strength train and I only do the HIIT with the strength training once a week. 

Maybe it's just time to take it too a new level?  Obviously if I'm able to do this work out and I feel normal an hour afterwards I'm probably not working hard enough.

no that's not true...if you feel totally normal, then you HAVE reached a new level.  instead of doing that workout with 16 reps...increase the weight like someone said.  And whoever said you don't have feel sore to have a good workout is right, but 85% of the time...you will feel some soreness if it in-fact was a GOOD workout.

you're 5'9 150 ish?  man you have the perfect frame for a really nice body...I would say you should weigh about 165@5'9. I think tha would look perfect.

Original Post by eddiepotter:

you're 5'9 150 ish?  man you have the perfect frame for a really nice body...I would say you should weigh about 165@5'9. I think tha would look perfect.

 Funny you should say that...when I was in the Air Force I weighed between 165 and 170 and I though I was the stongest I ever was!  The military disagreed and put me on the weight management program because I was over the ideal weight for my height.  That was the only time in my life when I could do 5 pull ups from a dead hang!

yeah my cuz is 5'9 and she's about 170 with about 17% body fat...she looks great....and she's very very strong.  a lot of women are scared of "Weight".  they don't realize that they look great with the right kind of weight on them.  I'm not a fan of skinny.....

You can also try to mix it up by changing set-rep scheme - try 5x5s (you'll have to adjust the weights you use)

Reading these responses is somewhat disappointing because I have the same problem. It seems that I only get sore the very first time I try a new type of exercise that I haven't ever done and after that I get nothing, even after increasing intensity. For example I tried leg presses a couple of weeks ago after never having done them and I was dying for 2 days after. As soon as I tried it again I got nothing, I raised  the weights to the point where I was hard pressed to do even my 8-10 and did a few sets of them with rest between and then raised the weights again and did as many as I could, only about 3-4 and I get zero soreness. After working out yesterday I was sweating a serious storm, had raised the intensity on all my routines and got nothing but that warm feeling in my muscles all day, today I'm fine. There's only so many new things I can try to feel sore, should I worry about my progression?

Soreness is not the sign of making progress. Being able to lift more weight then you did before is the sign of progress.

Original Post by etahbear:

Reading these responses is somewhat disappointing because I have the same problem. It seems that I only get sore the very first time I try a new type of exercise that I haven't ever done and after that I get nothing, even after increasing intensity. For example I tried leg presses a couple of weeks ago after never having done them and I was dying for 2 days after. As soon as I tried it again I got nothing, I raised  the weights to the point where I was hard pressed to do even my 8-10 and did a few sets of them with rest between and then raised the weights again and did as many as I could, only about 3-4 and I get zero soreness. After working out yesterday I was sweating a serious storm, had raised the intensity on all my routines and got nothing but that warm feeling in my muscles all day, today I'm fine. There's only so many new things I can try to feel sore, should I worry about my progression?

 I don't understand the problem, you aren't sore? great! Being sore sucks, you're in pain all day and walk around like your 100 years old.

If you want to be sore, run repeatedly into a wall (after lifting of course).

Original Post by alevin:

Soreness is not the sign of making progress. Being able to lift more weight then you did before is the sign of progress.

I 2nd that, I don't get sore unless I'm starting up again after a break, but I can definitly tell that I am getting stronger.

Though I will say that I do understand the desire to being sore. I kinda enjoy it, actually, in my sick sort of way :P

Original Post by alevin:

Soreness is not the sign of making progress. Being able to lift more weight then you did before is the sign of progress.

 this is correct.

However…in my daily routines…my workouts are so so so intense that soreness is an everyday thing for me…

sometimes I hurt more on certain days, but trust me if you were doing as intense a workout….you would feel it.  Using weights is one thing…punching and kicking trees…running with a parachute and the wind pulling you back…climbing up concrete steps with your bare knuckles…having someone hit you in the ribs and the shins with baseball bats….This is real soreness.  I barely get sore from lifting unless I use a muscle that I haven’t used in quite sometime.

Well all right then. Apparently I was misreading the responses and thinking that feeling sore was an indication that you are doing something right. I will add running into walls to my routine post-haste. Whining about not feeling pain is the perfect warm up for looking ridiculous when the time comes!

Original Post by etahbear:

Well all right then. Apparently I was misreading the responses and thinking that feeling sore was an indication that you are doing something right. I will add running into walls to my routine post-haste. Whining about not feeling pain is the perfect warm up for looking ridiculous when the time comes!

 hahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!

Original Post by k-loo:

Curls, Squat and press, and the balance on one leg lean over and pull weights up to your chest thing 

 My trainer calls it a "Stork Stance Row".

Right now, I'm in my second cycle of weight training. In my first routine, I was continuously upping my weights but I never really felt sore the next day. When I visited my trainer 2 weeks ago, she said my previous program might have been too easy and assigned me a totally new one so I'm lifting HEAVY weights now... like weights I NEVER thought I could lift. Challenge yourself and pick the heaviest weights you can manage while still keeping proper form.

If I was you, I'd hire a trainer, since mine continues to open my eyes to my capabilities.